


to my side

by lostinwander (the_silverdoe)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Jurassic World Fusion, Developing Crushes, First Meeting, Gen, I Tried my Best at a Jurassic Park AU lmao, M/M, but it just turned out to be fluffy, considering jurassic park is supposed to be horror, sheith uhhhhhh finds a way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 15:18:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12986829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_silverdoe/pseuds/lostinwander
Summary: Zookeeping at a dinosaur park is a dangerous job — accidents are bound to happen. Shiro developing a crush is just one of them.“I’m impressed,” Shiro repeats, crossing his arms and smiling down at Keith. “What you did took guts. I’ve never seen someone who was such a natural with them before. You’ve got a real connection with those dinosaurs.”Keith shrugs and looks down at his feet, a tinge of pink dusting his cheeks.“There was a crisis,” he says. “Someone had to act.”





	to my side

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kcgane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcgane/gifts).



> Happy (belated) birthday to my dear friend Sunny!! You are seriously one of the sweetest people I've ever met and you constantly save the fandom by bringing your positivity into everything you do. I owe you my life, not just for everything you've ever done for me, but also because you as a person are just super awesome. ILY and you're the best. <3
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy this strange fusion of Voltron, Jurassic Park AU, and fluff!

 

“Eyes on me.”

Four sets of steely green eyes look up into the walkway railing where Shiro stands. The sound of squeals fades away as the pig runs into its pen, thick metal wall sliding shut behind its heels. He clicks his clicker once more.

_ Eyes on me —  _ click _. Ignore the pig —  _ click _. _

The velociraptors circle below him in their paddock, snapping their jaws.

“Eyes on me,” Shiro repeats.

They still and fix their gaze upon him.

“Elektra,” he nods as he tosses the far left velociraptor a dead rat. Elektra catches it in her mouth at once, bones crunching between her teeth.

“Stormy, Bianca,” Shiro continues, throwing each named dinosaur its own snack. He turns towards the last velociraptor, his eyes following the blood red streak across her neck. He locks onto her gaze, ready to withhold the rat in his hand if she doesn’t cooperate.

“Red.”

She stays tame, looking to Shiro’s hand eagerly as she awaits her snack. Shiro clicks the clicker again.

“Atta girl,” he grins as he tosses her the last piece of meat. Red leaps up to snatch the rat out of the air, chomps down on its flesh, and swallows.

Applause breaks out from behind Shiro. Turning around to face his audience of five, he flashes them a quick thumbs up before returning his attention to the dinosaurs.

“Eyes on me,” he says again to them. All four velociraptors stare up and follow his gaze. He clicks once more.

“Dismissed,” he says with a wave of his hand. They retreat back into their jungle habitat.

“So there you have it,” Shiro turns back towards the group of new recruits standing behind him, each one with an expression of awe and wonder on their face. “Meet the velociraptors who’s cage you’ll be keeping. Questions?”

A boy to the right raises his hand.

“How do you  _ do _ that?” he blurts out. Shiro chuckles.

“Well, first of all, I imprinted on them when they hatched,” he replies. “But I think the real secret in building a relationship with these velociraptors is the growth of mutual trust — not just on their side, but for me as well.”

He holds up his right arm, metal glinting in the sun. “Lost this to a T-rex about three years ago. Learning to work with the velociraptors has been just as much of a trust exercise for me as it is for them.”

“Respect,” the girl next to the first questioner says.

“But don’t try any of this at home,” Shiro warns them. “Your duties will be to care for the habitat and the velociraptors at a distance — a  _ safe _ distance. We were all aware of the risks when we signed up to work with them here at the park but that does not mean we should ever test them. Are we clear on that?”

The group gives him a murmured hum of consent.

“Any other questions?” Shiro asks.

“Can you tell us more about the personalities of each raptor?” the girl who spoke earlier pipes up.

“Sure,” he nods. “Bianca is the nicest one, although considering she’s still a pretty mean carnivore, that’s probably not saying very much. But she listens the best. She’s the one with the large spot on her side. Stormy is the one with the shortest tail. She eats the most and is the most excitable. Be careful about what you say around her. She’ll perk up at a number of animal names and become voracious.”

“Now, Elektra,” he continues, pointing down into the cage where one of the raptors has just peeked back out of the fern bushes. “She’s the most inquisitive and her skin is the greenest out of all of them.”

Elektra lifts her head and sniffs around before withdrawing back into the shade.

“And lastly, Red,” Shiro shakes his head with a smile. “The one with the long scar on her neck. She’s the most difficult one. Red doesn’t trust easily. She’s been through a lot and is the most stubborn one of them all. Sometimes, I still have issues keeping her in line, but once you earn her trust, it’s the most rewarding feeling ever.”

The boy in the middle raises his hand next.

“What will the daily keeping of the velociraptors look like?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to get all your logistical questions answered by your direct supervisor, Jerry,” Shiro replies, gesturing with a tilt of his head towards a uniformed staff member, who gives a little wave from across the railing. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Allura walking up towards them from the far end of the walkway.

“Hold on,” he tells the group as she approaches.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she says, coming to a halt in front of them. “I just wanted to let you know that Coran cannot lead the new recruits in their next orientation session. Matt has discovered something new about the new raptor breed’s DNA that they’ve been researching and Coran needs to attend to that instead. Would you be able to keep the new recruits on your hands for just a bit longer today?”

“Sure,” Shiro nods. “What was on the schedule again for after lunch?”

“I believe the Hadrosaurid’s paddock,” she replies. Then, turning to the group, she smiles. “Should be a breeze for you all compared to the raptors. How is everything going today?”

Before anyone can answer “Good,” a frantic squealing reaches their ears. All seven heads turn at once, searching for the source of the sound.

“Pig loose! Pig loose!” a voice shouts.

Shiro whips around and looks down into the cage. The pig they had just used as bait is now running blindly out onto the field below. Grabbing the nearest steel catch pole, Shiro squints down at the dirt, searching for a possible opening for him to rescue what most likely is already dead meat. One by one, the velociraptors pop out of the fern bushes, feet pounding in the dirt as they chase the scent of their prey.

Somewhere to the left of him, a gun cocks.

“No!” Shiro yells at once, putting his hands up. Jerry pauses and but doesn’t put the weapon down. “Don’t shoot! Put twelve amps in these animals and I’ll lose their trust!”

“We need to act fast!” Allura shouts, running down the walkway with her eyes trained on the pig.

“Hang on, I’ve—”

The metal pole in his hands disappears from his grip. Before Shiro can fully register what’s happening, one of the new recruits pushes past him and dips the catch pole he took from Shiro down into the paddock.

“Wait — stop!”

But too late. The second the net catches the pig, Red’s jaws chomp down on it fast. Speeding forward, her teeth catches on the pole and drags it along with her. The sudden force of the pull gives the new recruit no time to react, and before the rest of them can stop it from happening, the boy topples over the edge of the railing and falls into the pit.

The group of new recruits behind Shiro collectively bursts out into shouts and screams.

“Everyone stay calm!” Shiro commands as the dinosaurs gather around the kid. The four of them have him cornered, circling like sharks waiting for the opportune time to attack. Pulling the clicker out of his pocket, he calls down to the raptors, “Eyes on me!”

The velociraptors look up towards him. He clicks. They look back at the boy.

“Shiro,” Allura says, her voice full of concern. “We need to save him.”

Shiro chances a glance away from the raptors and focuses on the boy, who’s just gotten to his feet. Beneath the windswept mess of untidy black hair, the new recruit stares back out at the dinosaurs, a glint of a challenge in his eyes.

He’s afraid, Shiro can tell, but it’s buried under layers of determination and resolve.

“I’m going in,” Shiro informs her. “Keep your eyes on the raptors.”

He turns around to start making his way down into the paddock when a hand catches him by the shoulder.

“Wait,” Allura says, staring down into the scene. “Look.”

Shiro follows her gaze. The boy has his hands up — steady, unshaking — attempting to placate the raptors as he backs slowly closer to the gate behind him. Elektra growls mildly and Red snaps her jaws, but none of them have attacked yet.

“Eyes on me,” the new recruit says.

The raptors pause in their tracks. It’s a smart move, Shiro thinks, to borrow the same words the dinosaurs’ usual trainer uses. The boy was paying close attention.

“Eyes on me,” he repeats, keeping his hands up.

The raptors tilt their heads at him in mild confusion. Red takes one step closer, a hungry but curious look on her face. It’s the first time Shiro has ever seen her take so kindly to a stranger.

“What’s his name again?” Shiro asks Allura.

“Keith.”

Shiro follows along the walkway until he stands in Keith’s direct line of vision.

“Hey, Keith,” Shiro calls out to him, keeping his voice low and soft so as not to startle the raptors into rushing forward. Keith raises his eyes up towards him but doesn’t drop his hands. “You doing alright?”

Keith nods once, then returns his gaze back to the dinosaurs.

“Go ahead and keep your eyes on the raptors but I want you to listen to me,” Shiro continues. “You’re doing great, buddy. Here’s what’s going to happen. In a minute, we’re going to open the gate behind you, okay? When I say go, make a run for it. You’ll probably have to roll through to the other side but I know you can do it. Do you copy?”

Keith’s eyes shift back up to Shiro for a quick second before fixing back onto the raptors. He gives another small nod, staying as still as possible.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Shiro says. Then, turning back to Allura and Jerry, tells them, “The second I get down there, open the gate.”

Shiro dashes down the stairs from the walkway and onto ground level right outside of the paddock. Keith’s back is facing towards him as he keeps the velociraptors at bay. When he approaches the gate, he gives Allura the thumbs up.

The gates slide open before him. Keith turns his head slightly at the sound but doesn’t dare to move.

_ Almost… come on… just hold them off a bit longer. _

The entrance to the cage is wide open.

“Stay still, Keith, you’re doing great,” he says, looking up to catch Allura’s eye again. He gives her a nod to signal for her to close the gate. “Easy now, when I tell you to run,  _ run.  _ In three…”

The gate starts to lower back down.

“Two…”

Keith crouches low, keeping his feet on his toes as he waits for Shiro’s command.

“Two and a half…”

The gate is halfway to the ground when Shiro finally yells, “Go!”

Keith kicks off the dirt at once. The raptors snap their jaws and chase after him. The gate draws to a close. Panting and gasping for breath, Keith dives forward onto his shoulder and rolls cleanly through to safety right as the door shuts after him. The metal bars clang as the raptors ramming their heads into the gate in pursuit.

Shiro rushes forward to meet him.

“Are you okay?” he asks, bending down and grabbing Keith’s arms to help pick himself up from the dirt. He pats down at Keith’s clothes to dust him off but doesn't take his hand off Keith’s shoulder.

“Y-yeah,” Keith mumbles as he straightens himself up and looks Shiro in the eye.

And despite having barely just escaped death, the boy doesn’t look too shaken. Though the pulse at his neck still throbs wildly beneath Shiro’s fingertips, Keith’s eyes gleam violet with the rush of adrenaline. It’s… strangely attractive.

As Keith catches his breath, Shiro brings a hand to his face and turns it right to left, inspecting it for any signs of injury.

“Was that your first foray with a live dinosaur?” he asks, dropping both hands back down to his side.

Keith nods. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t meant to scare anyone.”

“No, what I meant was—” Shiro’s eyes widen. In the chaos of making sure nobody died, it takes him a moment to register that the feeling he’s left with now isn’t actually fear, but admiration. “I’m… impressed.

“What?”

“I’m impressed,” Shiro repeats, crossing his arms and smiling down at Keith. “What you did took guts. I’ve never seen someone who was such a natural with them before. You’ve got a real connection with those dinosaurs.”

Keith shrugs and looks down at his feet, a tinge of pink dusting his cheeks.

“There was a crisis,” he says. “Someone had to act.”

“Is everything okay?” a voice calls out from behind.

Shiro whips around to see Allura running down the stairs.

“What were you thinking?” she demands once she reaches them.

“Allura,” Shiro begins. “It’s alright, no damage done—”

“‘No damage done?’” she echoes back, both hands on her hips. “You could have gotten yourself killed! And not to mention, the paperwork that would have followed! You haven’t even had your first day on the field! My father worked hard and gave his life to build Altea Park up from the ground and we shall do everything in our power to ensure that there are no casualties. We have spent years trying to recover and rebuild in the days following his accident so we take every effort that goes into running the park very seriously.”

“Allura,” Shiro says again. “This is exactly why Keith is perfect for a job here. He has a natural way with these raptors. I can think of no one better to care for their habitat.”

Allura sighs and turns her head to face Keith.

“No, I understand,” she assures them. “I just wanted to make clear the severity of the matter at hand. We cannot hope to be so lucky the next time an accident happens. Of course, I am glad that Keith has survived and shown that he is more than up to the task, but precautions are set in place for a reason. We must do our best to stick to them.”

“He’s going to be fine,” Shiro smiles, clapping a hand on Keith’s back. “Once he’s through with orientation, I’m sure he’ll be good to go. Keith will work wonderfully with the raptors someday.”

“You will make sure of that, will you?” Allura asks.

Shiro gives Keith’s shoulder a squeeze. Keith looks up at him, his eyes wide.

“Definitely.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

Shiro sits down next to Keith on the log. After a lunch break and another session above the Hadrosaurid’s paddock, the group now finds themselves inside the cage with buckets of food to feed the Hadrosaurids. While the rest of the new recruits are bonding with the dinosaurs together, Shiro finds Keith off to the side by himself with a bucket full of leaves.

“There isn’t much to say,” Keith answers.

Shiro looks down to see a small peep of Hadrosaurid hatchlings congregated around Keith’s feet. Keith grabs a leaf from the bucket and feeds it to them. They squeal in excitement as they flock straight to his hand.

“Are you sure you’ve never interacted with dinosaurs before this?” Shiro asks with a smile.

“As far as I know,” Keith replies. Then, looking up at Shiro, he adds: “Thanks for saving me earlier.”

“Of course,” Shiro chuckles. “Not that I really had any other choice.”

“I know. But still.” A smile tugs at the corner of Keith’s lips.

“Hey. You barely even needed my help,” Shiro says, giving Keith a little bump with his shoulder.

Keith gives a little chuckle at that, and Shiro’s heart swells at the sound of it.

“That’s not true,” Keith says, looking down at the baby Hadrosaurids. “I only knew what to do because I was watching you.”

Shiro blinks, feeling his cheeks heat up. Keith’s attention has returned to the dinosaurs yelping at his feet. Holding out a hand full of random assortments of vegetation from the bucket, Keith coaxes one of the Hadrosaurids into his palm. Warmth spreads inside Shiro’s chest at the sight of it.

It’s not everyday Shiro meets someone who shares that same level of deep connection with the dinosaurs.

To stop his mind from wandering too far with that thought, Shiro coughs and clears his throat.

“Even so,” Shiro replies. “Watching someone else is only part of the learning process. Not only were you paying close attention, but you’ve shown that you adapt well to situations. And that’s not to mention the traits already innate to you.”

“I don’t know,” Keith says, a finger stroking the baby dinosaur’s head. “I don’t know where it comes from.”

“Well, either way,” Shiro says, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “What do you say to training the velociraptors with me?”

Keith turns to face him.

“You serious?”

“Yeah,” Shiro chuckles. “I’m sure Allura will be okay with that. We don’t meet someone with talent like yours everyday. And besides, Red loves you. I can already tell.”

“Sounds great,” Keith smiles. “When can we start?”

“Mm, I’ll have a talk with Allura and we’ll see what we can work out,” Shiro says.

“Okay,” Keith nods. “Thank you, sir.”

Shiro freezes up. One of the baby Hadrosaurids squeaks up at him and he suddenly finds that he can’t maintain eye contact with Keith.

“Call me Shiro,” he croaks out finally.

“Okay. Shiro,” Keith tries out.

The effect isn’t much better, but it’s an improvement. Still, it’s embarrassing. Shiro’s been dealing with dinosaurs for years. He ought to be able to handle this.

For better or for worse, Shiro musters up the courage and looks Keith in the eye with a smile.

“Alright, Keith. It’s good to have you onboard.”

**Author's Note:**

> come say hello to me on [tumblr](https://flusteredkeith/tumblr.com) and/or [twitter](https://twitter.com/flusteredkeith)!


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